National identification card system and biometric identity verification method for negotiating transactions

ABSTRACT

A method and system for preventing or obstructing a person from negotiating a transaction with another person, group, or entity in a population, includes verifying and crosschecking the identity of the person and the status of the national identification card carried by the person, as a prerequisite to negotiating or entering into a transaction, such as purchasing an airline ticket. The identity of the person is verified and crosschecked by using a biometric characteristic unique to that person. If an irregularity is found during the verification or crosscheck, or if the identification card is found to be invalid or expired, the person is prevented or obstructed from negotiating that or any subsequent transaction with any other person, group or entity in the population.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a security system, and moreparticularly to a crosscheck identification system which obstructs orprevents a person from negotiating a transaction with another person,group, or entity in a population, if during a crosscheck it isdetermined that a person's record contains questionable information, orif an identification card carried by that person is invalid or hasexpired.

The prior art is replete with security systems that verify the identityof a person or an identification card carried by that person prior toallowing that person to execute a transaction. For example, financialinstitutions typically issue various types of identification cardsbearing a magnetic strip encoded with identifying and other relatedinformation about the user. The user chooses or is assigned with apassword known only to the user that is verified at a remote locationwhen the user's information is read from the card by a reader and thepassword information is inputted into the system separately from thecard. Other systems include encoding the card with some type ofbiometric information of the user wherein the bearer of the card submitsto the system to confirm the identity of the bearer with the biometricinformation directly received from the user prior to executing atransaction.

In conventional systems, if the identity of the person is not confirmed,or if the identification card is found to be invalid for some reason,the user is permitted to submit another card, or the user simply doesnot execute the transaction. For example, if a person wishes to purchaseitems on a credit card, such as VISA®, MASTER CARD®, DISCOVER®, AMERICANEXPRESS®, etc., and if the card is found to have been expired, or if theidentity of the person encoded on the card does not match with theperson submitting it for a transaction, the user may simply not purchasethe items, pay cash, or use another card. In other words, it is theuser's option to either submit another form of payment or refuse thetransaction altogether. Similarly, if a person uses an identification orsecurity card for, for example, gaining access to a building orfacility, and if the card is determined to have been expired, invalid,or if there is an unsuccessful match between the identity of the personfrom those previously authorized to gain entry, the user is simplydenied entry. The denial of entry into a building, or a decision not toexecute a transaction, does not in any way limit that person's abilityto enter into or execute another transaction with another person, group,or entity. In other words, the present systems fall short of preventingor obstructing a person from negotiating a transaction with anotherperson, group, or entity, if irregularities, such as invalidity of theidentification card, criminal record, etc., are found.

Although conventional systems, to a large extent, fulfill the requiredlevel of security needs thus far, there is a need for an improved andbetter security system which addresses the security breaches thatoccurred recently which led to terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter (New York) and the Pentagon (near Washington, D.C.) on Sep. 11,2001. In those attacks, three commercial jet-liners were intentionallycrashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagonafter being hijacked. A total of nineteen hijackers took over andcommandeered the planes into these buildings. Although none of thehijackers were reported to have any pilot license, a few of them hadtaken flying lessons at various flying schools around the country.Surprisingly, at least one of them was reported to have been keen onlearning just to maneuver an advanced jetliner like Boeing 727, withoutlearning to land or take-off an advanced commercial jet. Anotherhijacker, without any previous flying training or experience, wasreported to have sought training to fly a Boeing 747 in a flightsimulator. That hijacker also carried several thousand dollars in cashto pay for the lessons.

It was also reported that one of the lead hijackers left a stalled-outplane on the runway after landing, on one occasion during a flyinglesson. At least one of the leading hijackers was reported to be highlyeducated, and all of them were leading normal lives in the UnitedStates, Germany and other countries. All of the hijackers were foreignnationals who had entered the United States on temporary (student,tourist, and business) visas obtained at the U.S. Embassies abroad. Oneof the hijackers, who held a student visa, never attended the school hehad applied to. Notwithstanding the suspicious and unusual behavior onpart of these hijackers, the hijackers were able to negotiate, enterinto and execute various day-to-day transactions, such as rent anapartment and purchase items of daily needs, for several years prior tohijacking the planes.

Since the September 11^(th) attack, many private and government expertshave surmised if somehow this great tragedy could have been avoided ifthere was some type of security system in place that would haveprevented the actions of the perpetrators.

The present invention was devised, particularly in view of the recenttragic events, and is meant to function as a safeguard againstundesirable actions on the part of those finding it easy to engage inbehavior that might threaten other peoples' lives or cause damage toproperty.

Various identification systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.3,702,392; 4,582,985; 4,707,592; 4,993,068; 6,148,091; 6,208,264B1;6,213,391B1; and 6,219,439B1.

In view of the deficiencies associated with conventional securitysystems, there is a need in the industry for a method and system whichprevents or obstructs a person from negotiating first and subsequenttransactions, in the event an irregularity is found in the firsttransaction.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a method andsystem for preventing or obstructing a person from negotiating atransaction with another person, group, or entity in a population uponthe occurrence of a preselected event(s).

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method andsystem which checks, crosschecks, verifies the identifying, and profileand/or biometric information of a person to determine whether or not theperson may proceed to negotiate a transaction, such as seekingemployment, seeking financial and/or social assistance from a private orgovernment entity, purchasing or leasing real estate, purchasing orleasing vehicles, purchasing travel tickets, seeking medical care,seeking lodging or boarding, seeking enrollment at schools, colleges,universities and other vocational schools for education or training,visiting places and/or buildings, seeking entry into a country, etc.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a method andsystem for verifying a person's identity, immigration or non-immigrationstatus, background record (criminal, etc.) as a prerequisite tonegotiating or entering into a transaction over a certain predeterminedamount, with another person, group, or entity in a population.

Yet an additional object of the present invention is to provide a methodand system which, in effect, incapacitates or immobilizes a person in apopulation since that person is prevented or obstructed from negotiatingany transaction with another person, group, or entity in the population,in the event the portable data device or the national identificationcard carried by the person, and containing electronically codedinformation about that person, is found to be inactive or expired, or ifthe card is found as not belonging to that person, has been tamperedwith, or is counterfeit. It is noted that the system of the invention isnot a substitute for the conventional identification or transactioncards, such as MASTER CARD®. VISA®. DISCOVER®, and AMERICAN EXPRESS®,but serves as a supplement thereto. For example, a person wishing tonegotiate a transaction, such as purchasing an airline ticket, wouldfirst have to clear the security requirements of the system of thepresent invention, followed by purchasing the ticket itself by, forexample, using a credit card. Therefore, the system of the presentinvention, first validates the person wishing to negotiate atransaction, as a legitimate and rightful person, and then allows theperson to proceed to negotiate the transaction itself. Accordingly, thesystem functions as a national security system.

A further object of the present invention to provide a method and systemfor preventing or obstructing a person from negotiating a second orsubsequent transaction(s) with another person, group, or entity in apopulation where the person was obstructed from negotiating a first orprevious transaction(s).

In accordance with the present invention, a method of obstructing aperson from negotiating a transaction with another person, group, orentity in a population, includes selecting for each person in a selectedsection of a population an identifying biometric characteristic uniqueto that person; determining profile information of each person; storingthe identifying characteristic and the profile information of eachperson in individual portable data devices to be carried by respectivepersons, the data devices including an active status and an inactivestatus; storing the identifying characteristic and the profileinformation of each person collectively at a central location;determining an identifying biometric characteristic and the profileinformation of a person wishing to negotiate a transaction from theportable data device carried by the person; comparing the identifyingcharacteristic and the profile information from the data device with thecorresponding identifying characteristic and the profile informationprestored in at the central location for a successful or unsuccessfulcomparison; obtaining profile information and biometric characteristicdirectly from the person wishing to negotiate the transaction; comparingthe identifying characteristic and the profile information obtained fromthe data device and that obtained directly from the person for asuccessful or unsuccessful comparison; determining an active or inactivestatus of the data device carried by the person; obstructing the personfrom negotiating the transaction if an unsuccessful comparison isindicated in either of the previous steps, or if the status of the datadevice is determined to be inactive; and notifying an appropriateauthority if the status of the data device is determined to be inactive.

In accordance with the present invention, a national security system forobstructing a person from negotiating a transaction with another person,group, or entity in a population, includes a national security card tobe carried by each person in a selected section of a population, thenational security card including prestored profile information and anidentifying biometric characteristic unique to each person; a cardreader including a biometric scanner, the card reader including a firstprocessing unit for comparing the biometric characteristic stored on thenational security card of a person with the biometric characteristicobtained directly from that person for a successful or unsuccessfulcomparison; a remote second processing unit including prestored profileinformation and an identifying biometric characteristic of each personin the selected section of the population; a communication link betweenthe card reader and the second processing unit. One of the first andsecond processing units compares the profile information and thebiometric characteristic stored on the national security card with theprofile information and the biometric characteristic prestored on thesecond processing unit for a successful or unsuccessful comparison. Oneof the card reader and the remote processing unit includes means fordetermining the active or inactive status of the national security cardand communicating an inactive status to a predetermined authority. Thecard reader includes an active and inactive indicator for indicating theactive or inactive status of the national security card. Wherein aninactive status of the national security card obstructs a person fromnegotiating a transaction with another person, group, or entity in apopulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, novel features and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following detaileddescription of the invention, as illustrated in the drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the security system of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the method of the invention, illustratingissuance of a portable data card to a person; and

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate a flow chart of the verification portion of themethod of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As best shown in FIG. 1, the crosscheck security system S of the presentinvention, includes a data device or national security card 10 to becarried by a person P and a data card reader 12. The data device 10 canbe any one of many conventionally available credit-card sized cards thatcan be coded electrically, magnetically, electromagnetically, optically,electrooptically or by other conventional means, to include biometricand profile information about the person P, as noted below.

The data card reader 12 is preferably a self-contained stand-alone unit,which would typically be located at a transaction site. For example, thereader 12 would be placed at any location where a person may conduct atransaction to purchase goods or obtain services, from private orgovernment entities. By way of a non-limiting example, some transactionsites would include airline, ship, train and bus ticket counters,department stores, retail outlets, educational or training institutions,apartment complexes, entrance to various private and governmentfacilities and buildings, entrance to entertainment facilities such asstadiums, customs and border check-in places, etc.

Alternatively, the card reader 12 may be connected to a personalcomputer, internally or externally, to allow the users to negotiatetransactions with a vendor or service provider from a remote location.For example, presently it is common to purchase goods, make hotelreservations, and purchase airline tickets via the Internet. In thesesituations, the user could have his/her data card reader integrated intothe personal computer or locate it externally, in the same manner as,for example, a modem. The biometric characteristic and profileinformation could then be transmitted to the vendor or service providerfor verification and crosscheck.

The card reader 12 is preferably connected to a remote computer 14having pre-stored biometric and profile information of the persons in aselected section of a population. A communication link 16 between thecard reader 12 and the remote computer 14 can be wired, wireless, orthrough the World Wide Web (the “Internet”).

The data card reader 12 includes a card scanner 18, a retinal scanner20, a fingerprint reader 22, a hand print reader 24, a voice printprocessor 26, a pressure-sensitive site or region 28, and anactive/inactive indicator 30. The data or information from the cardscanner 18, retinal scanner 20, fingerprint reader 22, hand printscanner 24, voice print processor 26, and the pressure-sensitive region28, is converted to digital form by interfaces 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, and42, respectively, for processing by a processor 44. As shown in FIG. 1,the card scanner 18, retinal scanner 20, fingerprint reader 22, handprint scanner 24, voice print processor 26, and the pressure sensitiveregion 28, collect information directly from the person P.

The active/inactive indicator 26 may preferably be in the form of agreen/red light to indicate active or inactive status of the data card12, respectively, or to indicate an unsuccessful match between theinformation collected from a person and the information pre-stored onthe card 10 or the remote computer 14.

As noted previously, the main object of the present invention is toprovide a method and system which prevents or obstructs a person fromentering into or negotiating a transaction with another person, group,or entity in a population in the instances where a pre-selected eventhas occurred. For instance, if the data card 10, having a predeterminedvalidity period, has expired or been rendered invalid/inactive by anappropriate authority, the person to whom this card was issued, would nolonger be able to enter into or negotiate a transaction with anotherperson, group, or entity in a population.

It is noted herewith that the security system of the present inventionis not meant to substitute other conventional identification systemsthat are currently used to check or verify the validity or authenticityof persons or cards, such as credit cards and other security-relatedcards generally used to gain entrance into a building. In other words,the crosscheck security system S of the present invention functions as aprerequisite to conventional transaction systems where, for example, acredit card or other security card is used to obtain goods or services,or gain access to a building or facility.

Accordingly, under the crosscheck security system S of the invention, ifthe system is unable to verify and crosscheck the identity of a personfrom the pre-stored information about that person, or if the data card10 carried by the person is expired or invalid, that person would beunable to proceed further to negotiate or enter into a transaction withanyone in the population. Preferably, this would include any financialtransaction that has an initial threshold value of, for example, atleast $100.00 (in U.S. dollars or other currency), whether based in cashor credit, or other delayed payment method, or non-financialtransactions or obtaining non-tangible benefits under the law, such asgaining entry into a country, obtaining driver's or pilot license, etc.

It is noted herewith that the $100.00 threshold limit can be raised orlowered to decrease or increase the level of security, respectively, asneeded. For example, in the instances where a top security level isdesired, the initial threshold level may be decreased to zero, such thatthat all financial transactions would be subject to the securityrequirements of the system S. On the other hand, if only a minimum levelof security is desired, the initial threshold level may be raised tomore than $100.00 so that low value financial transactions would not besubject to the security requirements of the system S. The initialthreshold value would be set by the user and can be varied, as desired.Preferably, the threshold value would be set at 0-$600.00.

It is noted that the system S can also be programmed such that the levelof security is increased progressively. For example, if the initialthreshold value is set at $150.00, and a person is obstructed fromnegotiating a first transaction, the remote computer would automaticallylower the threshold values for the second and subsequent transactions bya predetermined differential, such as $50.00. Therefore, the personwould be permitted to negotiate second and third transactions havingvalues of less than $100.00 and $50.00, respectively, but would beprevented from the fourth transaction thereby completely immobilizingthe person. Preferably, the differential would be set at $25.00-$150.00.

For non-financial transactions, such as seeking entry into a country,gaining entry into a private or government building or facility (SearsTower, Eiffel Tower, the U.S. Capitol, the Centers for Disease Control(CDC), Nuclear Power Plants, Airports, National Parks, etc.), theinitial threshold value would preferably, be set at zero.

The security system S of the present invention therefore functions as anational security system under which a pre-selected segment of apopulation, and preferably, each person in the population, includingthose crossing the borders to gain entry for any reason, would berequired to obtain a data or national security card 10 from a governmentor government-authorized entity.

In operation of the crosscheck security system S of the invention, thefirst step is to issue data or national security cards 10 to selectedpersons, and preferably all the persons in a population.

As shown in FIG. 2, at the request of a person P (step 46), thebiometric characteristic and profile information about the person iscollected (step 48). The biometric characteristic or information can bea fingerprint(s), hand or palm print, retinal scan, voice sample,saliva, DNA, etc. or other biometric data which produces a digitalprofile that is sufficiently unique to provide a reasonable degree ofcertainty as to the identification of that person. Likewise, the profileinformation can include such information as name, address, date andplace of birth, citizenship, medical and/or personal history, criminalrecord, passport information (date of issuance, number, issuing country,validity period, etc.), immigration or non-immigration visa information(category and duration, issuing consulate/embassy, etc.), licenses(driver's, pilot, etc.) and any other information unique to that personthat may be used to create a digital profile of that person for a properand sufficiently secure-proof identification.

The information collected in step 48 is then appropriately digitized(step 50) for storage at a central location (remote computer 14) and onthe data card 10 (step 52) to be issued to the person P (step 54).

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the steps involved in verifying and crosscheckingthe identity of a person when that person wishes to negotiate anon-financial transaction, or a financial transaction over apredetermined threshold limit, with another person, group, or entity ina population.

As illustrated, the person P wishing to negotiate a transaction (step56) is requested to produce his/her data card 10 (step 58). The datacard 10 is read by the reader 12 and the scanner 18 scans the digitizedbiometric characteristic and profile information therefrom (step 60).The person P then submits directly to the card reader 12 his/herbiometric characteristic, such as a retinal scan, fingerprint, handprint, voice print, and/or signature (step 62).

The biometric characteristic and the profile information read from thedata card 10 are then transmitted to the remote computer 14 for asuccessful or unsuccessful match (step 64) for a crosscheck. In theevent of an unsuccessful match, the person P is prevented or obstructedfrom proceeding to negotiate the transaction (step 66), and the detailsof the transaction are stored (step 68) in the remote computer 14.

On the other hand, if a successful match is indicated in step 64, asecond comparison is made between the identifying characteristic andprofile information directly collected from the person P with thecorresponding prestored information on data card 10 (step 70) forverification. The person P is obstructed from proceeding to negotiatethe transaction, if an unsuccessful match is indicated (step 72), andthe details of the transaction are stored (step 74) in the remotecomputer 14. However, if a successful match is indicated in step 70, theactive or inactive status of the data card 10 is then determined, eitherby the card reader 12 or the remote computer 14 (step 76). If the statusof the data card 10 is determined to be active, the person is allowed toproceed to negotiate the transaction (step 78). On the other hand, if itis determined that the data card 10 is inactive (expired, invalidated,etc.), the person is prevented or obstructed from proceeding tonegotiate the transaction (step 80). In addition to obstructing theperson from negotiating the transaction, the security system S recordsthe details of the transaction (step 82) and notifies a proper authority(step 84), which could be a law enforcement authority, for furtheraction.

Since the main function of the security system S of the invention is toprevent a person, particularly those who may engage in committing acrime, or may be involved in preparations, atone or in concert withothers, leading to committing a crime, or to follow the suspicious orother undesirable behavior, the profile information of a person isupdated to include details of each transaction attempted to benegotiated by that person in each instance of being obstructed (steps66, 72 or 80). For example, the amount of each transaction, theidentity(ies) of the person, group, or entity with whom the transactionwas being negotiated by the person, and the nature of the transaction(types of goods or services sought) are recorded. This information wouldbe particularly useful to a law enforcement authority, in the event itis found that the person obstructed, particularly in step 80, has aquestionable background, has been wanted for past criminal or otherbehavior, or should be monitored for law enforcement purposes. Forexample, if a person wanted by a law enforcement authority attempts tonegotiate several transactions and is obstructed in each instance, thelaw enforcement authority could very easily determine the location andwhereabouts of the person, and particularly the types of goods andservices sought by that person. This type of information would be ofenormous help to the law enforcement authorities where the person hasbeen involved in making preparations to commit an illegal act or engagein an unwanted behavior.

It is noted herewith that it is not necessary that only one type ofbiometric characteristic be used for the purpose of verifying andcrosschecking the identity of the person. In other words, anycombination of one or more of the biometric characteristics may be usedin the security system S depending upon the level of security needed.For example, a person wishing to gain access to highly secure, sensitivelocations could be issued a data card that requires verification andcrosscheck of all of the biometric characteristics, i.e., retinal scan,fingerprint, hand print, voice print, and a signature. In this regard,it would be preferable to use a data card that has capacity to addadditional levels of security by adding more detailed profileinformation about the person. The data card may further optionallyinclude other data, such as social security number, sex, hair color,height, weight, educational and medical information, organizationalaffiliations, special skills and licenses, etc.

As can be observed from the above, the crosscheck security system S ofthe invention is effective in immobilizing a person, if his/her nationalidentification card has expired or been invalidated by a governmentagency, the issuing authority, or other government-authorized entity.This is particularly useful in tracking the whereabouts and movement ofa person in a population as the details of each transaction attempted tobe negotiated by that person are recorded.

Further, since the obstructed person can no longer negotiate anytransaction, including further transactions, with any person, group orentity in the population, including the purchase of daily need items,renewal of apartment lease, etc., it would become very difficult forthat person to lead a normal daily life, and/or engage in an unlawfulbehavior.

In the event, the national security card of a person has expired or beeninvalidated, that person must return to the card issuing authority orother designated entity to have the card renewed or validated, in orderto be able to negotiate transactions and become mobile again in thepopulation. The crosscheck security system S of the invention wouldtherefore be very useful in tracking the status and movement of thepersons entering a country on temporary visas (the terms of which arelimited and prefixed), such as foreign students, tourists, temporaryforeign workers, etc.

Recently, it has been a concern of the U.S. Government that manystudents from foreign countries obtain student visas and enter theUnited States with the apparent intent to obtain education, training,etc., at various schools, colleges and universities. However, theyeither do not attend the educational institutions, or continue to staypast their term as restricted by the U.S. Immigration. At the presenttime, it is voluntary that the person return to the appropriategovernment agency or authority to have the term of the visa extended orrenewed. Therefore, once a person is in the United States, presentlythere is no system to check the whereabouts of that person. Thecrosscheck security system S of the invention would be particularlyuseful in these circumstances. Once the national security card, issuedby, for example, the U.S. Immigration, has expired, the person would nolonger be able to negotiate any transaction, including re-enrolling at aschool, seek employment, seek/renew lodging or boarding, secure dailyneed items, travel, etc. This would require that the person return to anappropriate authority or agency to have the card renewed or validated,or its term extended.

In this regard, the system S could be programmed such that the renewal,validation, or extension of a visa or work permit would be granted toonly those persons who have fulfilled the predetermined requirements oftheir stay in the country. For example, it may be required that thepersons on student visas obtain verification of satisfactory attendanceat their schools, as a precondition to their continued stay in thecountry. Likewise, the visas/work permits of the temporary foreignworkers could be extended only upon a showing that they have performedsatisfactorily at their places of employment.

While this invention has been described as having preferred ranges,steps, materials, or designs, it is understood that it is capable offurther modifications, uses and/or adaptations of the inventionfollowing in general the principle of the invention, and including suchdepartures from the present disclosure, as those come within the knownor customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and asmay be applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fallwithin the scope of the invention and of the appended claims.

1. A national security method which functions as a prerequisite to aperson wishing to negotiate a transaction with another person, group, orentity in a population and selectively obstructing the person fromnegotiating the transaction, comprising the steps of: a) selecting foreach person in the population of a country an identifying biometriccharacteristic unique to that person; b) determining profile informationof each person in the population; c) storing the identifyingcharacteristic and the profile information of each person in thepopulation in individual portable data devices to be carried byrespective persons, the data devices including an active status and aninactive status; d) storing the identifying characteristic and theprofile information of each person in the population collectively at acentral location; e) determining an identifying biometric characteristicand the profile information of a person wishing to negotiate atransaction from the portable data device carried by the person; f)comparing the identifying characteristic and the profile informationdetermined in step e) with the corresponding identifying characteristicand the profile information prestored in step d) for a successful orunsuccessful comparison; g) obtaining a portion of the profileinformation and a biometric characteristic directly from the person instep e); h) comparing the identifying characteristic and the profileinformation obtained in steps e) and g) for a successful or unsuccessfulcomparison; i) determining an active or inactive status of the datadevice carried by the person in step e); j) obstructing the person instep e) from negotiating the transaction if an unsuccessful comparisonis indicated in either steps f) or h), or if the status of the datadevice is determined to be inactive in step i); k) notifying anappropriate authority if the status of the data device is determined tobe inactive in step i); l) wherein the person in step e) is barred fromnegotiating any transaction with any person, group, or entity in thepopulation if an unsuccessful comparison is indicated in any of thesteps f), h), or i); and m) further obstructing the person obstructedfrom negotiating the transaction in step j) from negotiating anysubsequent transaction with any other person, group, or entity in thepopulation.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the authority comprises alaw enforcement authority.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the valueof the transaction in step e) is at least $100.00.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein: the biometric characteristic is selected from thegroup consisting of fingerprint, hand print, retinal scan, and voicesample.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein: the portable data devicecomprises an electronically, magnetically, electromagnetically,optically, or electrooptically codable card.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein: the profile information includes one or more of name, address,date of birth, country of citizenship, type and duration of immigrationvisa, passport number and the country of issuance, and criminal record.7. The method of claim 6, wherein: the transaction comprises atransaction category selected from the group consisting of seeking entryinto a country, seeking financial or social assistance from a private orgovernment entity, seeking employment, securing housing, securing goods,securing lodging or boarding, seeking education or training, traveling,and seeking medical assistance.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising the step of: m) updating the profile information of theperson in step e) obstructed in step j) to include details of thetransaction, the details comprising one or more of the following: i)amount of transaction; ii) identity of the person, group, or entity withwhom the transaction was being negotiated by the person in step e); andiii) the category of the transaction.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising the step of: m) further updating the profile information ofthe person in step e) obstructed in step j) to include details of eachtransaction attempted to be negotiated by the person subsequent to thetransaction in step e).
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprisingthe step of n) converting the data device to an inactive status upon theoccurrence of an event.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein: the eventcomprises expiration of a pre-fixed duration of time period.
 12. Themethod of claim 6, wherein: the central location comprises a remotelocation; and the step f) is carried out by accessing a computer locatedat the remote location by a wired or wireless communication, or theInternet.
 13. A national security method of which functions as aprerequisite to a person wishing to negotiate a second or subsequenttransaction with another person, group, or entity in a population, andselectively obstructing the person from negotiating the second orsubsequent transaction where the person has been obstructed fromnegotiating a first transaction, comprising the steps of: a) selectingfor each person in the population of a country an identifying biometriccharacteristic unique to that person; b) determining profile informationof each person in the population; c) storing the identifyingcharacteristic and the profile information of each person in thepopulation in individual portable data devices to be carried byrespective persons, the data devices including an active status and aninactive status; d) storing the identifying characteristic and theprofile information of each person in the population collectively at acentral location; e) determining an identifying biometric characteristicand the profile information of a person wishing to negotiate a second orsubsequent transaction from the portable data device carried by theperson; f) comparing the identifying characteristic and the profileinformation determined in step e) with the corresponding identifyingcharacteristic and the profile information prestored in step d) for asuccessful or unsuccessful comparison; g) obtaining a portion of theprofile information and a biometric characteristic directly from theperson in step e); h) comparing the identifying characteristic and theprofile information obtained in steps e) and g) for a successful orunsuccessful comparison; i) determining an active or inactive status ofthe data device carried by the person in step e); j) obstructing theperson in step e) from negotiating the second or subsequent transactionif an unsuccessful comparison is indicated in either steps f) or h), orif the status of the data device is determined to be inactive in stepi); k) notifying an appropriate authority if the status of the datadevice is determined to be inactive in step i); and l) wherein theperson in step e) is barred from negotiating any second or subsequenttransaction with any person, group, or entity in the population if anunsuccessful comparison is indicated in any of the steps f), h), or i).14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the value of the first transactionis at least $150.00; and the value of the second or subsequenttransaction is lower than the value of the first or previous transactionby a predetermined amount.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein: thepredetermined amount is $50.00.
 16. A national security system forobstructing a person from negotiating a transaction with another person,group, or entity in a population, comprising: a) a national securitycard to be carried by each person in the population of a country; b)said national security card comprising prestored profile information ofa person carrying said card and an identifying biometric characteristicunique that person; c) a card reader comprising a biometric scanner; d)said card reader including a first processing unit for comparing thebiometric characteristic stored on the national security card of aperson with the biometric characteristic obtained directly from thatperson for a successful or unsuccessful comparison; e) a remote secondprocessing unit including prestored profile information and anidentifying biometric characteristic of each person in the population;f) a communication link between said card reader and said secondprocessing unit; g) one of said first processing unit and said secondprocessing unit for comparing the profile information and the biometriccharacteristic stored on the national security card with the profileinformation and the biometric characteristic prestored on said secondprocessing unit for a successful or unsuccessful comparison; h) one ofsaid card reader and said remote processing unit including means fordetermining the active or inactive status of the national security cardand communicating an inactive status to a predetermined authority; andi) said card reader including active and inactive indicator forindicating the active or inactive status of the national security card;j) whereby an inactive status of the national security card obstructs aperson from negotiating any transaction with any person, group, orentity in the population.
 17. The security system of claim 16, wherein:said communication link comprises a wired or wireless link, or theInternet.
 18. The security system of claim 17, wherein: the biometriccharacteristic is selected from the group consisting of fingerprint,hand print, retinal scan, and voice sample.
 19. The security system ofclaim 18, wherein: the transaction has a value of at least $100.00.